News

In our Shop and Café, 21 Co. we showcase and sell cards, paintings, pottery, and lots more which have been made by local artists and makers. For every purchase made in our shop, you will be contributing to independent designers, and also donating to Sunshine and Smiles – Leeds Down Syndrome Network.

Our newest addition is a print of Headingley, Leeds made by Richard Locket, and it features 21 co.!

The first 5 we had in stock sold out in the first week, but we have ordered some more and will be available to buy and order from Friday 22 February.

If you missed the video that broadcast this week on ITV, then click on the link below to see what happened when we made it onto a national TV show.

Francis ready for action! This Morning filming at 21 Co.

We couldn’t believe it when we were asked if This Morning could venture up to Leeds to do a story on our new Shop & Café, and with excitement came nerves! As a small charity we try our best to raise awareness of why we’re offering a service in Leeds to support families who have a child with Down Syndrome, but we weren’t sure if we were ready for national coverage. However, the team who came up to film were lovely and our inbox hasn’t stopped pinging since the feature went out!

We want to say a huge thank you to This Morning for sharing our story, and also to every person behind all the lovely messages we’ve recently received, it means so much to know that people are cheering us on.

Thank you so much to David and Dilys Astin who popped in with their cheque after organising the Sunshine & Smiles Benefit Concert. They raised over £3,000 on 2nd February!!

A huge thank you to the Headingley Voices, Sound Company, Free Range A Capella, and Harissa and Roger Harington for making the evening so magical, and thank you for inviting us to bring along our pop up Café 21 to serve our delicious cake, teas & coffees to everyone at the interval.

We can’t thank you enough for choosing to raise funds for our charity, and thank you to all the people who came along to listen!

We are very pleased to announce that due to the popularity of the Sunshine Football Club sessions we are now going to have two groups!

Juniors are ages 4 to 9 years old

Intermediate group is 9 to 16 years old

We will hold the junior group on a separate Sunday to the intermediate sessions starting after Easter. All sessions will still be 10am-11am at Football World, and Mark and Simon will be the coaches at both sessions.

It’s nearly 3 weeks since we opened our Shop and Café, 21 Co. and we can’t quite believe the amount of support we’ve received.

We want to reach out and thank everyone who has been a part of our journey so far, whether it’s a donation, volunteering, or popping in to see how we’re doing. It all means so much. Not forgetting the amount of coverage we’ve received locally, nationally, and internationally on radio, TV, and online.

The idea of offering young adults who have Down Syndrome opportunities to gain work experience had always been a distant dream of ours, one we didn’t think we’d be able to achieve within 5 years of becoming a charity. This is only the beginning of something great, and we only hope that we can continue to develop our café and to ensure other young adults who have Down Syndrome are given the same opportunities.

Since our Café 21 pop up at Carousel in March last year we have been looking for a long-term venue to have our very own shop and more importantly; offer work experience and training opportunities to our young adults who have Down Syndrome. We are extremely excited for this next chapter, and we invite you to join us on this journey. Not only will this be a great hub for our families too, but an opportunity to raise funds for the charity also.

The Independent – Dan Rowlands / SWNS.com Sky News came to visit!

Ailith Harley-Roberts, service manager at Sunshine & Smiles said,

National statistics show that only 17 per cent of all adults with a learning disability are in paid employment. Clearly, it can be difficult for the young people we support to get the work experience and training they need to secure jobs.

Sunshine and Smiles’ newest project 21 Co. has opened in the heart of Headingley, offering opportunities to young adults in Leeds who have Down Syndrome.

Catherine and Louise make a dream team!

21 Co. Shop and Café opened its doors on Saturday 12 January, and will operate as a gallery and coffee shop for a minimum of 6 months, and potentially longer if successful.

Friends and family of the charity Sunshine and Smiles came to support us on our first day, and it was lovely to see so many locals pop in to try our homemade cakes and Cielo coffee.

Since our Café 21 pop up at Carousel in March last year we have been looking for a long-term venue to have our very own shop and more importantly; offer work experience and training opportunities to our young adults who have Down Syndrome. We are extremely excited for this next chapter, and we invite you to join us on this journey. Not only will this be a great hub for our families too, but an opportunity to raise funds for the charity also.

Ailith Harley-Roberts, service manager at Sunshine & Smiles said,

National statistics show that only 17 per cent of all adults with a learning disability are in paid employment. Clearly, it can be difficult for the young people we support to get the work experience and training they need to secure jobs.

Following our Café 21 pilot project we were determined to get something more long term off the ground! We will be aiming to meet the needs of young people with Down syndrome in the workplace and to create a long-term model where participants are treated like any other trainees and can access training and paid work.

Lorna and Lauren grinding the coffee Francis and George always eager to help each other Catherine making Lorna laugh again

We want to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped us make this happen. As well as giving opportunities to our young adults, you can also purchase products from independent local designers and makers, including; hand made jewellery, local painters, sculptors & ceramicists. There’s also a chance to grab the last few copies of our 2019 Sunshine and Smiles Calendar, which is now on sale!

Big thanks to Dman & Friends who raised £578.65 for Sunshine and Smiles!

Dman is the older brother to Lyall, who is a member of Sunshine and Smiles, and he organised a festive takeover at Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen on 30th December to raise money for the charity. It was a booming day, full of music, dancing and friendly faces.

Dman said,

“Thank you sooo much to everyone who came and partied with us and a special thank you to everyone who donated! Can’t wait to share our next event with you as we’ve got a lot planned for 2019!”

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